


to build a dream on

by littleleotas



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F, F/M, Tumblr Prompt, lotsa smooches, smooches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 06:03:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10656429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleleotas/pseuds/littleleotas
Summary: A collection of Tumblr kiss prompt ficlets.





	1. keep dancing

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr at avelakjar if you want to come say hi!

“Her point is sickled!!!! Are we watching different dances???”

Garrus stilled Shepard’s wildly gesticulating hand long enough to pour more wine in her empty glass.

“Honestly, everyone just wants the asari to win _every time_.”

“You could stop watching the show.”

Shepard squinted at Garrus.

He held a hand up in surrender.

Shepard shifted her weight in his lap. “I’m not crushing you, am I?”

“That feels like a trick question.”

“Ooh shh, the next dance is my favourite.”

The announcer’s voice boomed from the television. “And now, Akuchi Jordan and Keahi Caron, performing the rumba!”

The dancers moved with endless fluidity. Shepard let out tiny gasps a few times, though Garrus had no idea why. He looked up at her and thought how much he’d have liked to see her in her dancing days.

The song ended and Shepard exhaled deeply, setting her wine glass down on the table next to the bottle. “Did you _see_ that?”

“Mmhm.”

“You weren’t watching, were you?”

Garrus inhaled as if to say something, then stopped. He reached up to kiss her and she kissed him back, hands on either side of his face and giggling.

“Nice save.”

She was still giggling a little when she clocked the intensity of his gaze.

“Oh.”

He kissed her again, leaning forward and pushing her back toward the arm of the chair. She hummed contentedly, pulling him closer to her.

Garrus felt her legs moving around him and pressing his back down closer to her - when had she done that? Spirits, maybe those dancing days weren’t that long ago.

“Mm,” she hummed, breaking the kiss. “Come back, you left for a minute there.”

“Uh,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m still here.”

“No, you were-” She grinned in realisation. “You were about three minutes into the future, weren’t you?”

“Oh. _Oh._ Yeah. Yes. I was.”

She reached up and kissed him hard again. “I’ll meet you there.”


	2. waiting to be swiftly pulled into tune

Shepard curled up under the desk in her cabin, shaking with sobs. She very rarely cried, let alone this embarrassing full-body sobbing, and she was just as angry at herself for losing her control as she was at the Illusive Man for making her lie to her crew and putting all of their lives at risk. She felt used, she felt useless, she felt-

“Shepard?”

Jack walked purposefully through the cabin door and looked around before catching sight of Shepard.

“Shit, Shepard, what’s wrong? You okay?”

Shepard sheepishly crawled out from under the desk.

“Sorry. I’m sorry, I-”

“You don’t have to apologise for anything,” Jack said, crouching in front of Shepard.

“You know that isn’t true.”

“I don’t know shit. What happened? Need me to kill someone?”

Shepard laughed bitterly, wiping tears off her cheek.

“I would. I’d kill 1000 people if you asked me to. Just say the word. Point me in a direction.”

Shepard looked at her for a second, then moved up on her knees, putting a hand to Jack’s cheek, and kissed her, pressing herself into Jack’s soft lips.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Jack searched Shepard’s eyes. Shepard was momentarily worried she’d done something wrong, before Jack grabbed her by the upper arms and kissed her back, hard. Her tongue grazed Shepard’s lips before Shepard gave in, opening her mouth and meeting Jack’s tongue with her own.

They pulled apart only for a moment, returning for a few more soft kisses.

“I love you,” said Jack with determination. “I love you and I will kill anyone for you.”

“Thanks,” said Shepard, grinning and wiping away the last of her tears.

Jack kissed her cheek, then stood up to leave.

“I am serious.”

“I know.”

Jack nodded, and left the room.

Shepard pushed herself up to her feet and the cabin door opened again.

“Sorry, I just- wasn’t done.” Jack kissed Shepard again, pushing her back toward the desk with a hand at the small of her back.

“Okay,” Shepard murmured into her lips.


	3. the daylight seems to want you

“Nnrgh,” Shepard groaned, rolling over to turn off her alarm.

Thane stirred, wrapping his arms tighter around Shepard’s waist. She placed her hands over his and settled back against him.

“Morning,” she said.

“Good morning,” he replied, kissing the back of her neck.

“Mm,” she hummed. “Is it?”

“It is morning.”

“No, is it a good one,” she giggled.

“Ah.”

“’s not an answer.”

He kissed the back of her neck again and she rolled over to face him, smiling. “Also not an answer, but i will accept.”

She met his lips in a gentle kiss. He rolled slowly over her, pressing her hips down with his own as their kisses became more intense.

He pulled back from her and she let out a small sound of annoyance, which quickly turned back to contented hums as he kissed his way down her neck to her collarbone.

She lifted his chin with one finger and brought him back to her lips, pressing her body against him with increased urgency. She pulled him against her with her hands around his waist, arching her back to press her chest to his.

He pulled back from her but she pursued, kissing him harder. She rolled onto her back and he braced himself with his hands on either side of her shoulders. He mirrored her earlier movement, pressing his body to hers, then pulled back slightly between kisses.

“Now,” he murmured into her lips, “It is a good morning.”

“Correct,” she breathed back before pulling him into another deep kiss.


	4. it can only delay it for a while

He was sure he was dreaming. They’d finally got the kill shot, he was lying on the floor bleeding out and hallucinating. She was dead, she couldn’t be here.

“Archangel?”

He pushed himself up with his gun, sauntering over to sit on some crates next to her. He was curious what a ghost would do when you accuse them of being one.

“Shepard. I thought you were dead.”

Her face broke into a grin of joy and relief. “Garrus! What are you doing here?”

“Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practise.”

Her face fell a little. “You okay?” she asked quietly.

“Been better. But it sure is good to see a friendly face.”

Shepard had what seemed like a hundred questions to fill in the two-year gap since he’d last seen her. The humans behind her shifted impatiently, but she ignored them.

Their conversation was interrupted by two waves of mercs assaulting the base, after which Shepard sent her squadmates to deal with a breach on the lower level.

“So…” Garrus said, when they’d left.

Shepard felled a merc with a clean headshot, then turned to Garrus and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not dead.”

She laughed. “No, I’m not.”

He looked at her and his gaze fell on her lips. She was still smiling slightly from laughing. How many times alone here in this bunker had he thought of her face, of those lips, and only now he realised he’d been imagining them wrong. Understandable, he thought, for a turian who doesn’t have lips.

“You okay?”

He blinked and realised she had noticed him staring.

“I, uh. Yeah.”

She shot a biotic warp at the last of the mercs and sank down behind the wall, pulling him with her.

“I missed you,” she whispered.

“I missed you, too,” he replied, leaning in closer.

He put a hand to the side of her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “You’re really here.”

She put her hand over his.

He brushed her lips with his thumb, staring at them again.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

Garrus hesitated for only a second before leaning in and letting her press her lips to his mouth. She was soft and wet and gentle, words he never previously would have ascribed to Commander Shepard.

She pulled back, her eyes still closed, and hummed contentedly. She opened her eyes, inhaled as if to say something, but the words fell away as she threw her arms around him, pulled him to her, and kissed him hard.

She opened her mouth into the kiss and grazed his mouth with her tongue. He returned the gesture and she moaned appreciatively. Their hands grasped at each other as if they were afraid if they lost hold, they’d disappear. Shepard kissed him again and again, finally pressing her lips to him for a long moment before breaking away.

“This is real, right? You’re here? I’m here?”

“I think so,” he whispered, panting with lack of breath.

She kissed him again and he thought he felt a tear on her cheek.

A stray bullet whizzed over their heads. Shepard gasped and fell back.

They were quiet for a moment, catching their breath and looking at each other.

“I think,” Shepard said, “We should pick that up later.”

Garrus nodded, picking up his gun and settling back into sniper position.

Shepard popped up over the wall to throw a warp, then ducked back down, resting her head against the wall and looking up at Garrus.

“I’m glad we’re back.”


	5. leads in other people's dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some stress relief for Calixta Shepard.

Shepard opened the apartment door and nonchalantly dropped her bag on the floor, kicking it over as she stepped past. She sighed, kicking her shoes off and leaving them where they fell. She pulled her sticky shirt off over her head and dropped it on the floor with equal disregard. She walked over to the fridge and stood in the chilled air, closing her eyes and humming contentedly.

“Uh. Hi, honey.”

She turned around to see Garrus looking at her bemusedly.

“I was hot.”

“Mmhm.” Garrus walked up behind her, slipping an arm around her waist.

She sighed, leaning into him.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” She covered his hand on her stomach with her own, absentmindedly stroking the back of his hand with her thumb.

He rested his chin on the top of her head.

“I just feel so…useless. Everyone got what they needed out of me and now there’s just…no point.”

“You don’t have to be useful. You’re a person, not a tool.”

“You know that isn’t true.”

“Shepard.”

“No, I mean, the Alliance needed a Spectre to run errands for them, Cerberus needed someone to go after the Collectors, the galaxy needed someone to fight the Reapers. Now who needs me?”

“I do.”

“For what?”

“For you.”

“You need me for me?”

“Yes, I do,” he said, his rumbling subvocals buzzing through her head.

“Not your most poetic, Vakarian.” She smirked over her shoulder.

“I mean that I don’t need anything from you. I’m not keeping you around to get something out of you. I love you.”

She turned around, smiling sadly. “I love you, too.”

“You know something,” he said, taking her hands and kissing her forehead. “I understand that feeling.”

“What feeling?”

“Wanting to be useful.”

“I thought we just established being useful wasn’t necessary.”

“We did. But you and I both know that knowing that and feeling that aren’t the same thing.”

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. “Mm.”

“I think there’s something I could be useful for right now,” he said, gently placing his hands on her waist.

She looked up at him with a mischievous smirk, raising an eyebrow. “And what could that be?”

He ran his fingers up her back and unhooked her bra. She shrugged it off her shoulders as he helped the straps down, taking it off her and throwing it on the increasingly cluttered floor. He picked her up and she put her arms around his neck as he carried her upstairs.

He set her down on the edge of the bed and she unbuttoned her pants, leaning back to take them off. Garrus pushed her back gently with a hand on her stomach and pulled her pants off her.

He moved over her, propping himself up with his hands on either side of her. She looked up at him, head tilted inquisitively.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

She raised an eyebrow at him before pulling him down to kiss her. He stuck slightly to the drying layer of sweat on her skin. He pulled away from her and moved his hands to her waist, reaching down again to kiss her neck. She hummed contentedly as he made his way down over her collarbone, kissing between her breasts.

His mouth brushed over one of her breasts and he licked the nipple, moaning contentedly at her gasp. He brought her nipple into his mouth, biting slightly and pulling.

“Oh, fuck,” she whispered, hooking her leg over his and pressing him closer to her at the small of his back.

He looked up at her and squeezed her breast, running his thumb over the hardened nipple before dipping his head to the other breast.

“Garrus,” she pressed her face to his neck.

His hand dropped to her waist as he worked her nipple with his tongue. He glanced up and saw her eyes flutter closed as she gasped and bit her lip.

He ran his hand down her waist and gently stroked her thigh, kissed his way back between her breasts and over her stomach. He pressed a finger to her clit and moaned in unison with her as he began stroking.

She arched her back and he gently nipped at her stomach as it rose. He slid backwards on the bed to lie in front of her, moving his arm around her thigh as he replaced his finger on her clit with his tongue.

She matched the rhythm of her hips to his tongue, whispering, “Harder, please,” and his subvocals hummed into her with his moans. He increased the pressure of his tongue and her moans grew louder as she pressed her thighs against his head. He briefly lost his rhythm, traction becoming impossible with the slickness of her, but it was not long after he began again that she came, moaning loudly and twisting her fingers in the sheets.

She rolled to her side, catching her breath as Garrus sat up. He wiped his face on the sheet and caught her gaze, both of them smiling.

“That’s my favourite way to be useful.”

“Mm, you’re right,” she murmured. “I think I’ll keep you around for that.”

“Just for that?”

“No. Mostly just for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm now at avelakjar on Tumblr if you want to come say hi!


	6. soldier of fortune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaal declares war.

“Wow.”

Neira’s jaw dropped as she exited the vault, gazing in awe at the shimmering green lights in the sky over Voeld.

Jaal sighed, stepping up behind her. “It is breathtaking.”

“It’ll still take time for Voeld to be what it was once, but-”

“I think it is beautiful right now.”

Neira smiled triumphantly, allowing herself a moment to be proud.

“Ryder,” Jaal said.

She turned and was met with a faceful of snow. She heard Jaal’s low rumbling chuckle as she wiped the snow out of her eyes.

“I don’t believe it. Snowballs made it over 2 million light-years but popsicles didn’t?”

“Snow balls,” Jaal said, over-emphasising each syllable, “make sense. Eating sweetened ice does not.”

Neira cocked a hip and crossed her arms. “Your loss, big guy.”

Jaal laughed, turning to walk away from her. Neira slowly crouched down and tried to form a snowball as quietly as she could. She looked up just in time to see Jaal disappear around the corner of the Nomad. She tiptoed across the snow and was about to throw her snowball when Jaal leaped around the corner and hit her again.

“Hey!”

“Ryder, I must admit I have growing concerns about your battle prowess.”

“I’ll show you battle prowess,” she scowled, running behind a snowbank.

She rolled snowballs quickly, piling them up behind her makeshift cover. She looked up occasionally to see Jaal making his own wall. She crouched lower and continued making ammunition.

When she finished, she peered up over the wall again. Jaal was still working on his snowbank. Neira squinted, aiming carefully, and lobbed a snowball onto his back.

Jaal exclaimed in surprise and Neira slid down the snowbank, stifling laughter.

Jaal’s face appeared over the snowbank and Neira scrambled to grab another snowball and toss it in his face.

She giggled as he wiped snow out of his face and slid around the corner to lie in the snow beside her.

“I must apologise. Your warfare skills are extremely agile and adaptable.”

“Thank you for recognising my greatness,” she said, grinning.

He leaned over her and she met him with a kiss, humming contentedly at his warmth.

She felt his arm move and shoved him off, laughing. She sat up and raised an eyebrow at him, seeing the half-formed snowball in his hand.

Jaal shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

She shook her head, tackling him back into the snow with another kiss.


End file.
